Sanitary-drinking-cup blank.



G. P. HOGAN.

SANITARY DRINKING 0UP BLANK.

APPLIOATION FILED APB.22, 1911. v

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

GEORGE F. HOGAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

S ANITARY-DRINKING-GUP BLANK.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Application filed April 22, 1911. Serial No. 622,684.

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatI, GEORGE F. HOGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sanitary-Drinking-Cup Blanks, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of m present invention is to provide a flat blan of paper or other suitable material so cut and scored that it may be folded up into a drinking cup.

The details of my invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken .in connection with the accompanymg drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1, 1s a view of the top edge of the blank showing two of the scorings; Fig. 2, shows the whole blank; Fig. 3, shows a side edge; Fig. 4, is a perspective view of the cup made from one of the blanks, and Fig. '5, is a side elevation of said cup.

In the construction shown, the blank is of sectoral shape and preferably is of heavyweight sulfite paper having a water finish and super-calendered. This paper is sufficiently resistant to water and has the advantage of freedom from oil, wax and other dust-collecting ingredients. Its high finish contributes to cleanliness and is of material assistance to ready distribution of the blanks through automatic vending machines.

During the process of manufacture, the sectoral blank is passed through a scoring machine to produce two radial scores 1 and 2 which intersect at the apex 3 of the segmental blank and which divide the blank into a central portion 4 and two side portions 5 and 6, all of the same size and shape. The outer or upper edges 7, 8 and 9 of these several portions may be cut away slightly to improve the general shape of the finished cup. In addition to the radial scoring, the blank has a machine-made, embossed transverse score which extends in a straight line across the lower'ends of the segmental portions 4, 5, and 6. At 10, this transverse scoring forms the line on which the lower corner of the blank may be folded up, but at 11 and 12, the scoring has another function as hereinafter set forth.

-The scored blank above described may be regarded as the finished product, or article of manufacture, and is sold ordinarily in this flat and unfolded condition. To fold it into a cup, one of the side portions is folded over onto the central portion, with which it exactly corresponds in size and shape, and then the second side portion is folded over on the other two. It makes no difference which side portion is folded in first, since they are exactly alike. This is an impor tant feature when the blanks are to be used by sohool-childrenand others who could not economically be tau ht a complex folding operation. To comp ete the cup, it is only necessary to fold up the lower corner or apex 3, along the line 10.

To open the cup for filling, it is only necessary to squeeze it in the hand. The stiffness of the paper will cause the sides to bulge outward and, furthermore, will force the ed e of the inner side portion 6, tightly into tfie corner of the cup, where it will make a substantially water tight joint. But during this s ueezing operation, the side scorings 11 an 12 play an important part. As previously recited, the paper is stiff and the scorings are machine-made; as the re sult, the paper tends to buckle or pucker along the scorings 11 and 12 and this serves automatically to open up the lower portion of the cup and also to crowd the paper downward at the bend 10, thereby tightening the fold and making it secure.

That I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is A fiat blank for a drinking cup, said blank consistin of stiff waterproof paper out to sectoral form and having two radial scorings which divide said blank into three equal portions of uniform shape, said portions being so disposed that when either side portion is folded over the intermediate portion, the entire edge of said side portion will rest on the opposite scoring, said blank also having an embossed transverse score which extends in a straight line across all three portions of the unfolded blank adjacent to the lower corner of the sector, said In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe transverise score beingfstti1 pglsiiglgned on the my name this 20th day of April 1911. interme iate portion 0 e a; as to serve as a line for folding, and being so positioned GEORGE HOGAN 5 on the side portions as to pucker said side Witnesses:

- portions when said blank is folded up LILLIAN WINsBEBs,

squarely at its lower corner to form a cup. 7 MABEL W. WALLGREW. 

